Pryor, Boozman urge for protection of 188th Fighter Wing

WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman from Arkansas joined a bipartisan group of senators to urge the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to support provisions of the defense authorization bill that would prevent the Air Force from eliminating the A-10 mission at the 188th Fighter Wing.

"Despite repeated requests, the Air Force still hasn't provided us with the analysis behind their proposal to eliminate the 188th's A-10 mission," Pryor said. "The Air Force needs to complete a thorough and objective analysis before any changes are made. It's in best interest of our national security, and our men and women in uniform."

"These provisions in the defense authorization bill are very important because the Air Force used no comparative cost analysis to arrive at the decision to change the 188th's mission," Boozman said. "We all agree that wasteful spending needs to be eliminated, but arbitrary cuts to our national defense are very dangerous. The Department of Defense owes it to the country to provide the reason for its recommendations. The country needs smart cuts, especially when it comes to our national defense, not massive random cuts that put our national security at risk."

In the letter, Pryor and Boozman asked the conferees to support the continued freeze of Air National Guard and Air Force structure changes for FY2013. They also encouraged the conferees to maintain a provision that would establish a National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force.